Since the beginning of his poetic career in the 1990s, derek beaulieu
has created works that have challenged readers to understand in new
ways the possibilities of poetry. With nine books currently to his
credit, and many works appearing in chapbooks, broadsides, and magazines,
beaulieu continues to push experimental poetry, both in Canada and
internationally, in new directions. Please, No More Poetry
is the first selected works of derek beaulieu.

As the publisher of first housepress and, more recently, No Press,
beaulieu has continually highlighted the possibilities for experimental
work in a variety of writing communities. His own work can be classified
as visual poetry, as concrete poetry, as conceptual work, and beyond.
His work is not to be read in any traditional sense, as it challenges
the very idea of reading; rather, it may be understood as a practice
that forces readers to reconsider what they think they know. As beaulieu
continues to push himself in new directions, readers will appreciate
the work that he has created to date, much of which has become unavailable
in Canada.

With an introduction by Kit Dobson and an interview with derek beaulieu
by Lori Emerson as an afterword, Please, No More Poetry offers
readers an opportunity to gain access to a complex experimental poetic
practice through thirty-five selected representative works.

derek beaulieu is the author of five books of poetry, three
volumes of conceptual fiction, and over 150 chapbooks. beaulieu teaches
at the Alberta College of Art + Design and Mount Royal University.

Kit Dobson is an assistant professor of Canadian literature
at Calgary’s Mount Royal University. He is the author of Transnational
Canadas: Anglo-Canadian Literature and Globalization (WLU Press,
2009) and co-author, with Smaro Kamboureli, of Producing Canadian
Literature: Authors Speak on the Literary Marketplace (WLU Press,
2012).

Lori Emerson is an assistant professor in the Department of
English at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She is co-editor,
with Darren Wershler, of The Alphabet Game: a bpNichol Reader
(2007).

Reviews

“Brilliant compilation.... beaulieu has written and edited many
books and has self-produced hundreds of smaller
‘items’ through his publishing houses. It speaks to
the marginality of this form of [conceptual] writing that he is
not better known. Perhaps this excellent introduction to his
oeuvre will begin to undo that disservice.”

— Jay Smith, Alberta Views

“An engaging cross-section that offers beaulieu’s longtime
readers a chance to revisit and rethink his practice while
offering new readers an opportunity to explore a variety of
innovative linguistic tactics.... By re-orienting beaulieu’s
politics ... Please, No More Poetry becomes a more
engaging book than a simple celebration of an author’s work and
accomplishments. It becomes a vital and engaging crossroads where
... seemingly opposing sociopolitical fronts can meet and battle
it out.... A crucial collection that not only looks back on a
brilliant career, but looks toward the future of the medium
itself, offering a sampling of innovative writing strategies and
seeking a place for poets that is relevant, valuable, and
meaningful in the contemporary world.”

— Eric Schmaltz, Lemond Hound

“A solid cross-section that serves as a strong introduction to
the poet’s writings, as well as to concrete poetry generally
(given the density of beaulieu’s work), the volume will
handsomely reward readers seeking to broaden their conceptions of
what poetry could be.”